§50. Impotence and rivalries of the Sophists put to shame by the Death of Christ. His Resurrection unparalleled even in Greek legend.

Many before this Man have been kings and tyrants of the world, many are on record who have been wise men and magicians, among the Chaldæans and Egyptians and Indians; which of these, I say, not after death, but while still alive, was ever able so far to prevail as to fill the whole earth with his teaching and reform so great a multitude from the superstition of idols, as our Saviour has brought over from idols to Himself? 2. The philosophers of the Greeks have composed many works with plausibility and verbal skill; what result, then, have they exhibited so great as has the Cross of Christ? For the refinements they taught were plausible enough till they died; but even the influence they seemed to have while alive was subject to their mutual rivalries; and they were emulous, and declaimed against one another. 3. But the Word of God, most strange fact, teaching in meaner language, has cast into the shade the choice sophists; and while He has, by drawing all to Himself, brought their schools to nought, He has filled His own churches; and the marvellous thing is, that by going down as man to death, He has brought to nought the sounding utterances of the wise151    e.g. Iamblichus, &c., cf. Introd. to c. Gent. concerning idols. 4. For whose death ever drove out demons? or whose death did demons ever fear, as they did that of Christ? For where the Saviour’s name is named, there every demon is driven out. Or who has so rid men of the passions of the natural man, that whoremongers are chaste, and murderers no longer hold the sword, and those who were formerly mastered by cowardice play the man? 5. And, in short, who persuaded men of barbarous countries and heathen men in divers places to lay aside their madness, and to mind peace, if it be not the Faith of Christ and the Sign of the Cross? Or who else has given men such assurance of immortality, as has the Cross of Christ, and the Resurrection of His Body? 6. For although the Greeks have told all manner of false tales, yet they were not able to feign a Resurrection of their idols,—for it never crossed their mind, whether it be at all possible for the body again to exist after death. And here one would most especially accept their testimony, inasmuch as by this opinion they have exposed the weakness of their own idolatry, while leaving the possibility open to Christ, so that hence also He might be made known among all as Son of God.

Πολλοὶ πρὸ τούτου γεγόνασι βασιλεῖς καὶ τύραννοι γῆς, πολλοὶ παρὰ Χαλδαίοις ἱστοροῦνται καὶ παρ' Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ Ἰνδοῖς γενόμενοι σοφοὶ καὶ μάγοι· τίς τούτων ποτέ, οὐ λέγω μετὰ θάνατον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔτι ζῶν ἠδυνήθη τοσοῦτον ἰσχῦσαι, ὥστε τὴν σύμπασαν αὐτὸν γῆν πληρῶσαι τῆς αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίας, καὶ τοσοῦτον πλῆθος παιδεῦσαι ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων δεισιδαιμονίας, ὅσους ὁ ἡμέτερος Σωτὴρ εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων μετή νεγκεν; Ἑλλήνων οἱ φιλόσοφοι μετὰ πιθανότητος καὶ τέχνης λόγων πολλὰ συνέγραψαν· τί οὖν τοσοῦτον ὅσον ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σταυρὸς ἐπεδείξαντο; Ἄχρι γὰρ τελευτῆς αὐτῶν τὰ παρ' αὐτῶν σοφίσματα τὸ πιθανὸν ἔσχεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὃ ἔδοξαν ζῶντες ἰσχύειν ἐν ἀλλήλοις ἔσχον τὴν ἅμιλλαν, καὶ κατ' ἀλλήλων μελετῶντες ἐφιλονείκουν. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, τὸ παραδοξότατον, πτωχοτέραις ταῖς λέξεσι διδάξας, τοὺς πάνυ σοφιστὰς ἐπεσκίασε, καὶ τὰς μὲν ἐκείνων διδασκαλίας κατήργησε, πάντας ἕλκων πρὸς ἑαυτόν, τὰς δὲ ἑαυτοῦ ἐκκλησίας πεπλήρωκε· καὶ τό γε θαυμαστόν, ὅτι ὡς ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸν θάνατον καταβάς, τὴν τῶν σοφῶν μεγαλοφωνίαν περὶ εἰδώλων κατήργησε. Τίνος γάρ ποτε θάνατος ἀπήλασε δαίμονας; ἢ τίνος ποτὲ θάνατον ἐφοβήθησαν δαίμονες ὡς τὸν Χριστοῦ; Ἔνθα γὰρ ὀνομάζεται τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ἐκεῖθεν πᾶς δαίμων ἀπελαύνεται. Τίς δὲ οὕτως τὰ ψυχικὰ πάθη περιεῖλε τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὥστε τοὺς μὲν πόρνους σωφρονεῖν, τοὺς δὲ ἀνδροφόνους μηκέτι ξίφος κρατεῖν, τοὺς δὲ δειλίᾳ προκατεχομένους ἀνδρίζεσθαι; Καὶ ὅλως, τίς τοὺς παρὰ βαρβάροις καὶ τοὺς κατὰ τόπον τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀνθρώπους ἔπεισεν ἀποθέσθαι μὲν τὴν μανίαν, εἰρηναῖα δὲ φρονεῖν, εἰ μὴ ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πίστις, καὶ τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ σημεῖον; Τίς δὲ ἄλλος περὶ ἀθανασίας οὕτως ἐπιστώσατο τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὡς ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σταυρός, καὶ ἡ τοῦ σώματος ἀνάστασις αὐτοῦ; Καίπερ γὰρ πάντα ψευσάμενοι Ἕλληνες, ὅμως οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν ἀνάστασιν τῶν ἑαυτῶν εἰδώλων πλάσασθαι, οὐκ ἐνθυμούμενοι τὸ σύνολον, εἰ ὅλως δυνατὸν μετὰ θάνατον εἶναι πάλιν τὸ σῶμα· ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ μάλιστα ἄν τις αὐτοὺς ἀποδέξηται, ὅτι τοιαῦτα λογισάμενοι τὴν μὲν ἀσθένειαν τῆς ἑαυτῶν εἰδωλολατρίας ἤλεγξαν, τὸ δὲ δυνατὸν τῷ Χριστῷ παρεχώρησαν, ἵνα καὶ ἐκ τούτου γνωσθῇ παρὰ πᾶσι τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱός.